The event, held in North Carolina, will be a free for all Department of Defense card holders and their families beginning at 6 p.m.

“We are pleased to have Tim here to share his experience with our Paratroopers,” said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Yurk, noncommissioned officer in charge of the tournament and the 82nd Airborne Division Combatives and Advanced Tactics School. “We are especially proud of the more than 400 Soldiers from around the world who will showcase their skills this weekend.”

The invitational is a series of elimination and intermediate matches and goes through Saturday. It is an Army-wide tournament featuring fighters representing units from across Fort Bragg and other DOD installations.

“This program means a lot to me,” Kennedy posted on Twitter.

Kennedy, a Staff Sergeant with the 7th Special Forces Group who entered the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan, has won three straight to push his record to 17-4. He is currently “negotiating” on Twitter to face Michael Bisping.